Drum News

Yamaha has introduced the drum and percussion industry’s first all‐in‐one acoustic/electronic hybrid drum set packs. DTX502 Hybrid Packs remove the guesswork for drummers who want to take advantage of the growing trend of combining acoustic and electronic elements into one self‐contained drum kit.

Prior to the introduction of these innovative packages, drummers assembled their systems in an a la carte manner and hoped that the components would be compatible. DTX502 Hybrid Packs simplify the process and include all necessary cables and hardware to start sounding great right out of the box. Amplification equipment for the electronic drums is sold separately.

The DTX502 Hybrid Pack (SC2HP587) consists of a five‐piece Stage Custom Birch acoustic drum set with Yamaha 700 Series hardware, a DTX502 module, two acoustic drum triggers and two electronic drum pads: the TP70 (7” single zone) and the XP80 (8” 3‐zone). It also includes cables for the triggers along with all the clamps and mounts to affix the electronic components to the acoustic set. The redesigned Stage Custom Birch drum set consists of all‐Birch shells and delivers plenty of punch with a focused tone that sounds great in any genre.

Three other packs, for use by drummers who already own an acoustic drum set, include all of the electronic add‐ons to take advantage of the benefits that a hybrid kit offers, including the ability to create sound layers, import user sounds and trigger drum, percussion and other sounds from their acoustic snare and kick drums. The system is expandable up to 12 pads. Free Yamaha iOS apps, including the DTX502 Touch, enhance the value of the DTX502 module and offer tools to improve drumming skills. All of the packs include a DTX502 module, two acoustic drum triggers, and one or two electronic drum pads, plus all the cables and mounting hardware in one box. The HP570 comes with one TP70 single‐zone pad; the HP580 includes one XP80 3‐zone DTX‐PAD; the HP587 features both TP70 and XP80 pads.

Yamaha has been making high‐quality acoustic drums since 1967 and began manufacturing electronic drums in 1986. No other drum company has more experience with both drum products.

“Yamaha is the only drum company that can provide all of the components to create a professional sounding and playing hybrid drum setup,” said Steven Fisher, marketing manager, Yamaha Drums, Yamaha Corporation of America. “These new drum packs make it easy for drummers to take advantage of this growing trend and expand their skills and sonic capabilities.”

Pricing and Availability

The DTX502 Hybrid Pack with acoustic drum set (MSRP: $2,600), the DTXHP570 (MSRP: $660), the DTXHP580 (MSRP: $990) and the DTXHP587 (MSRP: $1,150) will ship in February 2015.

About Yamaha

Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA) is one of the largest subsidiaries of Yamaha Corporation, Japan and offers a full line of award‐winning musical instruments, sound reinforcement and home entertainment products to the U.S. market. Products include: Yamaha acoustic, digital and hybrid pianos, portable keyboards, guitars, acoustic and electronic drums, band and orchestral instruments, marching percussion products, synthesizers, professional digital and analog audio equipment, Steinberg recording products and Nexo commercial audio products, as well as AV receivers, amplifiers, Blu‐ray/CD players, iPod docking systems, home‐theater‐in‐a‐box systems, earphones, headphones, sound bars, and its exclusive line of Digital Sound Projectors. YCA markets innovative, finely crafted technology and entertainment products and musical instruments targeted to the hobbyist, education, worship, professional music, installation and consumer markets.